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| On his very first UNICEF assignment (1976 Bangladesh) |
What was your last assignment with UNICEF?
Regional Adviser for Water and Sanitation - based in Nairobi. Left to join technical wing of UN in South Pacific (UNDDSMS, UNDESD, etc.).
How old do you feel?
I feel old enough to know better.
Where do you live?
Divide time between: Berkeley, California and Nairobi, Kenya.
What book do you currently read?
1. Nature's Mutiny: How the Little Ice Age of the Long Seventeenth Century Transformed the West and Shaped the Present - by Philipp Bloom
2. Surprised by Hope - by N.T. Wright . By the way, our local paper had a quote by the late Desmond Tutu: " I'm not an optimist. I am a prisoner of hope."
If you could travel without restrictions, where would you go?
Bhutan and Peru.
Your best experience with UNICEF?
Many; however, getting water well drilling productivity increased by an order of magnitude in India might be mentioned.
It was a team effort. It also required respect and understanding from the Indian Civil Service; and, it took persistence over several years.
Your biggest challenge when working for UNICEF?
Trying to get wat/san specialists treated fairly in an organisation that felt that only generalists were the ones worth retaining/respect, etc.
What is your biggest fear, in relation to the future of children?
Confusion, chaos, turbulence, civil unrest.
What is your greatest hope, in relation to children?
That common sense, empathy and generosity will prevail.
What is your one piece of advice you wish to give to the UNICEF Executive Director:
Include practitioners in policy formulation, planning, implementation, evaluations and course corrections. In other words: don't become too academic nor too doctrinaire. From it's origins onwards UNICEF had practicality built into its organisational culture (its DNA). If one abandons this, a valuable part of UNICEF history and lessons learned would be lost. Be humble enough to fill gaps left by others.
John Skoda can be contacted via: jdskoda@yahoo.com
Feel inspired? Send us your answers, to the same question. Not more than one sentence per question. Write to xunicef.news.views@gmail.com .
I am sure the auditors appreciated the paper-trail on your desk!
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